VOCABULARY SIZE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SECOND-LANGUAGE VOWEL PERCEPTION PERFORMANCE IN ADULT LEARNERS

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikke L. Bundgaard-Nielsen ◽  
Catherine T. Best ◽  
Michael D. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Vowel Perception ◽  
Phonological Categories ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Australian English ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

Improvement in second-language (L2) perception has been posited to occur early in L2 learning when the L2 vocabulary is still small, whereas a large L2 vocabulary curtails perceptual learning (the perceptual assimilation model for SLA [PAM-L2]; Best & Tyler, 2007). This proposition is extended by suggesting that early L2 lexical development facilitates the establishment of phonological categories in a manner analogous to children’s first-language (L1) acquisition before as opposed to after the vocabulary spurt. According to this view, L2 speech should be assimilated more consistently to L1 phonological categories and cross-boundary contrasts should be discriminated more accurately by learners with larger L2 vocabularies. To test this proposition, a novel whole-system approach to evaluate perception of L2 vowels in two experiments was applied. In Experiment 1, Japanese learners of Australian English (AusE) with less than 12 weeks of L2 learning in Australia completed labeling and goodness ratings on all AusE vowels, selecting from among all monomoraic and bimoraic Japanese vowels and vowel combinations. They also discriminated four L2 vowel contrasts, representing a range of PAM-L2 contrast types, and completed a L2 vocabulary size assessment. Learners with larger vocabularies had more consistent L2-L1 vowel assimilation and more accurate cross-boundary discrimination than those with smaller vocabularies, supporting the proposition that lexical development assists L2 phonological acquisition. Experiment 2 compared the perception of AusE vowels by Japanese learners after only 4–8 weeks in Australia with their perception after 6–8 months of L2 exposure. The results also supported the predicted positive association between L2 vocabulary size and L2 vowel perception rather than a general prediction of increased exposure duration leading to improved perception.

Second language learners' vocabulary expansion is associated with improved second language vowel intelligibility

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 643-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
RIKKE L. BUNDGAARD-NIELSEN ◽  
CATHERINE T. BEST ◽  
CHRISTIAN KROOS ◽  
MICHAEL D. TYLER
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
L2 Production ◽  
Australian English ◽  
L2 Perception ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

ABSTRACTThis paper tests the predictions of the vocabulary-tuning model of second language (L2) rephonologization in the domain of L2 segmental production. This model proposes a facilitating effect of adults’ L2 vocabulary expansion on L2 perception and production and suggests that early improvements in L2 segmental production may be positively associated with an expanding L2 vocabulary. The model was tested in a study of the L2 vowel intelligibility of adult Japanese learners of Australian English, who differed only in the size of their L2 vocabularies. The results support the predicted association between L2 vocabulary size and L2 vowel intelligibility and the prediction that early-phase L2 vocabulary expansion leads to improved L2 production.

Vocabulary size matters: The assimilation of second-language Australian English vowels to first-language Japanese vowel categories

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
RIKKE L. BUNDGAARD-NIELSEN ◽  
CATHERINE T. BEST ◽  
MICHAEL D. TYLER
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
First Language ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
Australian English ◽  
L2 Perception ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Assimilation Model

ABSTRACTAdult second-language (L2) learners’ perception of L2 phonetic segments is influenced by first-language phonological and phonetic properties. It was recently proposed that L2 vocabulary size in adult learners is related to changes in L2 perception (perceptual assimilation model), analogous to the emergence of first-language phonological function (i.e., attunement to the phonological identity of words) associated with the “vocabulary explosion” at 18 months. In a preliminary investigation of the relationship between L2 perception and vocabulary size, Japanese learners of Australian English identified Australian English vowels, provided goodness of fit ratings, and completed a vocabulary size questionnaire. We adopted a “whole-system” approach, allowing learners to apply all native vowel system possibilities to the full L2 vowel system. Learners with a larger L2 vocabulary were more consistent in their vowel assimilation patterns, compatible with the L2 perceptual assimilation model.

Second language learning in the context of massively multiplayer online games: A scoping review

ReCALL ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (01) ◽  
pp. 92-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasser Jabbari ◽  
Zohreh R. Eslami
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Online Games ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Massively Multiplayer Online Games ◽  
Multiplayer Online Games ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

AbstractThis review examines the second language acquisition (SLA) literature with regard to the role of “massively multiplayer online games” (MMOGs) in second language (L2) learning. It focuses on commercially developed off-the-shelf (COTS) MMOGs only (some of them modified for educational purposes such as Reinders’ & Wattana’s work). It surveys the current empirical research to find out which aspects of L2 learning have been investigated, how they were studied, and what the findings suggest in relation to L2 learning opportunities and outcomes within and beyond MMOG contexts. We synthesized the findings of 31 studies reporting empirical evidence about the role of MMOGs in L2 learning. We observed that the empirical research in this area is mainly qualitative and that L2-related motivational and affective factors, L2 vocabulary, and learners’ communicative competence (or discourse management strategies) are the most widely investigated topics. Based on the findings, our paper presents a model that depicts hypothetical interrelationships among (a) MMOG designed settings, (b) the social and affective affordances provided in these settings, (c) L2 learning opportunities, and (d) the L2 learning outcomes achieved. We conclude that MMOGs provide socially supportive and emotionally safe (i.e. low-language-anxiety) environments that afford multiple opportunities for L2 learning and socialization, which, in turn, help L2 learners to enrich their L2 vocabulary repertoire and enhance their communicative competence in the target language.

scholarly journals Language-dependent cue weighting: An investigation of perception modes in L2 learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 557-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kakeru Yazawa ◽  
James Whang ◽  
Mariko Kondo ◽  
Paola Escudero
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
English Studies ◽  
Cue Weighting ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Spectral Cues ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
L2 Perception ◽  
Japanese Learners

This study examines relative weighting of two acoustic cues, vowel duration and spectra, in the perception of high front vowels by Japanese learners of English. Studies found that Japanese speakers rely heavily on duration to distinguish /iː/ and /ɪ/ in American English (AmE) as influenced by phonemic length in Japanese /ii/ and /i/, while spectral cues are more important for native AmE speakers. However, little is known as to whether and how this non-native perceptual weighting can change as a result of L2 learning. By employing computational and experimental methods, the present study shows that Japanese learners of English exhibit different cue weighting depending on which language they think they hear. The experiment shows that listeners use more spectral cues and less durational cues when they think they are listening to ‘English’ stimuli as opposed to ‘Japanese’ stimuli, despite the stimuli being identical. This result is generally in line with our computer simulation, which predicts distinct developmental paths in first language (L1) and second language (L2) perception. The Second Language Linguistic Perception (L2LP) model, which incorporates the language mode hypothesis, provides a comprehensive explanation for the current findings.

scholarly journals The Effect of Multiplayer Video Games on Incidental and Intentional L2 Vocabulary Learning: The Case of Among Us

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
José Ramón Calvo-Ferrer ◽  
Jose Belda-Medina
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Incidental Exposure ◽  
Unknown Words ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Target Words

Vocabulary learning has been traditionally considered central to second language learning. It may take place either intentionally, by means of deliberate attempts to commit factual information to memory, or incidentally, as a consequence of other cognitive processes involving comprehension. Video games, which have been extensively employed in educational contexts to understand lexical development in foreign languages, foster both exposure to and the production of authentic and meaning-focused vocabulary. An empirical study was conducted to explore the effect of playing an online multiplayer social deduction game (i.e., a game in which players attempt to uncover each other’s hidden role) on incidental and intentional second language (L2) vocabulary learning. Secondary school pre-intermediate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students (n = 54) took a vocabulary pre-test that identified eight unknown words likely to appear in the video game Among Us. Then, students were randomly assigned to different groups of players and to different learning conditions—within each group, half of the players were given a list of phrases containing such target words, which they were encouraged to meaningfully use in the game by means of written interaction. In doing so, students learnt some target words intentionally and provided contextualized incidental exposure to other players. They took a vocabulary test after two sessions of practice with the game to explore intentional and incidental L2 vocabulary learning gains. The pre- and post-tests suggested, among other results, that players using new L2 words in the game Among Us would retain more vocabulary than players only encountering them, that vocabulary intentionally input helped other users trigger incidental vocabulary learning, and that repetition had a positive effect on L2 vocabulary learning.

Deliberate Learning Of Second Language (L2) Vocabulary: Research-Based Guidelines

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 210
Author(s):  
Syarifuddin .
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Word List ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Word Families ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Deliberate Learning ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

<p>This article is devoted to overviewing several current studies on L2 vocabulary learning, especially those aimed at investigating and exploring the ways in which deliberate vocabulary learning would be best facilitated, and thus would increase learning. It is argued that knowledge of vocabulary is fundamental in all language use, and becomes an essential part to master second language. A large amount of vocabulary is required to use English both receptively and productively: 8000 – 9000 word families needed in order to adequately comprehend a wide range of written discourse (Nation, 2006), and 2000 – 3000 word families required to get sufficient comprehension of spoken discourse (van Zeeland &amp; Schmitt, 2012). Knowing a lexical item entails several aspects of word knowledge i.e., form, meaning, and use, each of which is further comprised of several sub-aspects of word knowledge. In addition, vocabulary learning is incremental in nature. Taken all these into account, there should be a component of deliberate vocabulary learning in language teaching, regardless of the preferred teaching methods being applied. Most importantly, deliberate learning of vocabulary should be intensively focused on lexical items which fall into both the new GSL word list (Brezina &amp; Gablasova, 2015) and the new AWL word list (Coxhead, 2000). Finally, reviewing current studies on L2 vocabulary learning results in several research-based guidelines for deliberate or intentional vocabulary learning which are discussed throughout the rest of this article.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong><em>vocabulary learning, vocabulary size, word knowledge, high-frequency words, academic words, deliberately-learning-vocabulary guidelines</em><em> <strong></strong></em></p>

Investigating the role of vocabulary size in second language speaking ability

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takumi Uchihara ◽  
Jon Clenton
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Expert Rating ◽  
L2 Speaking ◽  
Vocabulary Assessment ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

The current study investigates the extent to which receptive vocabulary size test scores can predict second language (L2) speaking ability. Forty-six international students with an advanced level of L2 proficiency completed a receptive vocabulary task (Yes/No test; Meara & Miralpeix, 2017) and a spontaneous speaking task (oral picture narrative). Elicited speech samples were submitted to expert rating based on speakers’ vocabulary features as well as lexical sophistication measures. Results indicate that vocabulary size was significantly associated with vocabulary rating. However, learners with large vocabulary sizes did not necessarily produce lexically sophisticated L2 words during speech. A closer examination of the data reveals complexities regarding the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and speaking. Based on these findings, we explore implications for L2 vocabulary assessment in classroom teaching contexts and provide important suggestions for future research on the vocabulary-and-speaking link.

INTRODUCTION

1999 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie Wesche ◽  
T. Sima Paribakht
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Lexical Acquisition ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Present Collection ◽  
Relative Neglect ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

In the 12 years since Studies in Second Language Acquisition published its first thematic collection on L2 lexical issues, “The use and acquisition of the second language lexicon,” edited by S. Gass (1987), the centrality of lexical development in second language acquisition has received ever increasing recognition from researchers (see, for example, volumes by Arnaud & Béjoint, 1992; Coady & Huckin, 1997; Haastrup, 1991; Haastrup & Viberg, 1998; Harley, 1995, 1996; Hatch & Brown, 1995; Huckin, Haynes, & Coady, 1993; Meara, 1992; Nation, 1990; Schmitt & McCarthy, 1997; Schreuder & Weltens, 1993; Tréville, 1993; Tréville & Duquette, 1996). The 1987 collection was a leading foray into new territory, following a period of relative neglect of the lexicon in SLA. The issues taken up by its authors were quite diverse, ranging from the organization and components of the L2 lexicon, to aspects of acquisition such as cross-linguistic influence, restructuring, and rate, to L2 lexical-use issues such as retrieval and access. Since that time, a large body of L2 research and theory has developed around these and other topics, and it has become possible to deal comprehensively with single core issues in L2 lexical acquisition from multiple perspectives. The current collection is one such attempt, offering a set of related papers on the topic of incidental L2 vocabulary acquisition. Unlike the 1987 collection, which argued for recognition of the importance of the lexicon in a field dominantly concerned with the acquisition of syntax, the authors of the present collection assume the central importance of lexical acquisition.

scholarly journals Investigating The Effect Of Textualization On Learning Vocabularies Among Iranian EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Nazal Allahmoradi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Explicit Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Incidental Vocabulary ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

Both first language (L1) learners and second language (L2) learners may incidentally gain knowledge of meaning through reading. While researchers tend to agree that incidental learning is responsible for the vast majority of L1 vocabulary learning, there is some suggestion that explicit learning of vocabulary may be responsible for most L2 vocabulary learning However, researchers agree that incidental vocabulary learning should be encouraged and incorporated into L2 learning. - There is no relationship between textualization and learning vocabulary among Iranian EFL learners.

Towards a Model of Advanced Learners’ Vocabulary Acquisition: An Investigation of L2 Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention by Taiwanese English Majors

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Lee Reynolds ◽  
Wei-Hua Wu ◽  
Hui-Wen Liu ◽  
Shu-Yuan Kuo ◽  
Ching-Hua Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Acquisition ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

AbstractDevelopment of vocabulary is one of the fundamental elements for second language acquisition; it is important to meaning transfer and successful communication as well (Barcroft 2004). The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to investigate to what extent the characteristics of vocabulary affect Taiwanese English language majors’ second-language vocabulary acquisition and retention. This research builds upon similar research conducted by Willis and Ohashi (2012), which found a relationship between acquisition and a word’s frequency, cognateness, and length for Japanese learners of English. Our results indicate a significant relationship between acquisition and a word’s frequency, level of polysemy, and part of speech. Correlation results show that polysemy and frequency are both strongly related to acquisition. Nevertheless, a negative correlation between phonemes and acquisition was also shown. The findings indicate that high frequency words and polysemous words are both easily acquired and retained; in contrast, words with more phonemes require more effort by Taiwanese English language majors to learn and retain. Findings from a multiple regression analysis further suggest that high frequency polysemous nouns are easily acquired and retained by Taiwanese English language majors. Pedagogical implications concerning the variables investigated are provided.

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